Android Pay launches in Russia
Android Pay has now landed in Russia and can be used with an eligible Visa or Mastercard credit or debit card from a supported bank.
The supporting banks are AK BARS, Alfa-Bank, B&N Bank, MTS Bank, Otkritie, Promsvyazbank, Raiffeisen Bank, Rocketbank, Russian Standard Bank, Russian Agricultural Bank, Sberbank, Tinkoff Bank, Tochka, VTB24 and Yandex.Money.
There had been speculation it was arriving in the country on 16 May, according to “several sources familiar with the company’s plans” that spoke to news agency Interfax. However, today (23 May), Google confirmed the news in a blog post. So one week out isn’t too bad from Interfax.
In the Russian market, other systems have already arrived – such as Apple Pay, which landed in late 2016, Samsung Pay and AliPay.
Across the globe, Android Pay has been very active, so a move to Russia was not a surprise.
Consumers in the US will soon be able to use PayPal in Android Pay to make purchases at retailers in-store, in-app and online.
Several banks allowed their customers to add cards to their service from a mobile banking app. These include Bank of America, Bank of New Zealand, Discover, mBank and USAA. They follow on from Chase Bank in the US, and Australia and New Zealand-based banking group, ANZ.
In March, Android Pay arrived in Belgium. Last year, Android Pay went live in Poland – the first country on continental Europe to launch the service
The US was the first country to get Android Pay – this was in May 2015. The UK followed a year later. In Asia, Android Pay is available in Singapore and Hong Kong. It is also up and running in Australia, with ANZ being the first bank to introduce it to the market in July.
This story was originally published on 5 May 2017 with the headline “Android Pay May launch in Russia?”. Details about the confirmation from Google have been added.
